The Rapture, The Rhetoric and Reason

The Rapture, The Rhetoric and Reason is about four rapture views and three ways to test their validity and veracity. The four rapture views are the posttribulational, pretribulational, midtribulational, and finally the prewrath rapture view.

First, the posttribulational view of the rapture, is the oldest position dating back to the Apostles. It holds that the Church will have to undergo the tribulation persecutions brought on by the Antichrist because the Church will not be raptured until “after” the Tribulation.

Secondly, the pretribulational view of the rapture, says the Church will escape the entirety of the Tribulation because the New Testament saints will be raptured “before” the Tribulation begins. The tribulation saints and the Old Testament saints will be raptured in a second rapture at the end of the Tribulation. It was not even an option to consider in church doctrine until the middle of the nineteenth century when it suddenly exploded onto the scene with Jon Nelson Darby as its chief proponent.

Thirdly, the prewrath position, corrects a major flaw in the thinking of pretribulationism saying the seal judgments are not the wrath of God, but the wrath of Satan and his Antichrist. The prewrath position is an adjustment of the posttribulational rapture view. It teaches that the Church will be raptured somewhere near the end of the Tribulation.

Fourthly, the midtribulational rapture view, is mediating position teaching that the rapture occurs in the middle of the Tribulation, somewhere near the abomination of desolation when Antichrist begins his martyrdom of the saints.

The three tools we have in validating and verifying our rapture views are first and always Scripture (the Word of God), the Rhetoric (the gathered writing and teaching of scholars and students concerning these four rapture views), and Reason. The instrument we choose as our tool in this endeavor is Ockham’s Razor. In Latin, it is known as lex parsimoniae, or the law of stinginess or briefness. It guides the reader as we apply scripture and rhetoric in our study. William of Ockham (1287-1347) was a brilliant thinker. He was a Franciscan friar, philosopher, scholar and theologian. His principle of problem solving is stated as, “Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.” In practicality his maxim says, “The explanation with the fewest guesses is probably the right one.” The razor is a guide to straight thinking, which is a much needed in our task because it is obvious that not all of our rapture views are equally correct. We shall therefore need to do much shaving.

The author dares to refute dispensationalism in its arch-claim that is a “literal” interpretation. He also refutes their claim that God has two people, Israel and the Church. The Church has not replaced Israel but has become an extension of Israel. God has only holy people (Gal. 3:28-29). In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares it is the tares that are taken first (in death) and the wheat is left behind — exactly the opposite of what dispensationalism vehemently preaches (Matt. 13:30). 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 clearly teaches that the Antichrist must appear before the Day of the Lord appears. Dispensationalism is a heretical doctrine that divides the flock of God — it does not unite. Even those that are leaders among dispensationalists cannot agree on the fundamentals of their tenets such as the names and numbers of the dispensations. Dispensationalism is a changeling, a creature slowly evolving into an even more complicated system than it was before Darby.

And there is no imminent coming of Jesus Christ. As long as there is a sign to come to pass there can be no “any moment” coming. The author lists a multitude of New Testament signs that must come to pass before Jesus returns. But what does it matter what one believes as long as they believe? The answer is given to us on the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25. All ten Virgins were awaiting the arrival of the Bridegroom. But he delayed his coming and five virgins proved foolish in running out of oil for their lamps because the Bridegroom delayed his coming! When our Lord returns and delays his coming to the midnight hour dispensationalists will be woefully unprepared and many will play the role of the five foolish virgins.